Ridge Preservation Procedures after Tooth Extractions: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Dental Implantology
• Periodontology
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Alveolar ridge preservation is crucial for successful dental implant placement.
• Systematic reviews are essential for evaluating the efficacy of various ridge preservation techniques.
• Strict inclusion and exclusion criteria ensure the reliability of systematic review findings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically assess the procedural success of ridge preservation techniques.
• To evaluate the efficacy of deproteinized cancellous bovine bone/porcine collagen fibers (DBB/CF) and leukocyte-platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF) in ridge preservation.
• To identify potential materials of choice for ridge preservation procedures based on current evidence.

Main Methods:

• A systematic search of PubMed and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials was performed.
• Inclusion criteria included randomized controlled trials with a minimum of ten subjects and three months follow-up.
• Qualitative data analysis was conducted on eligible studies published between January 1980 and September 2017.

Main Results:

• Two studies met the inclusion criteria, one using DBB/CF and the other L-PRF.
• DBB/CF reduced vertical bone resorption but had a high risk of bias.
• L-PRF reduced both horizontal and vertical bone resorption, though with wide standard deviations due to small sample size.

Conclusions:

• L-PRF demonstrated efficacy in reducing both vertical and horizontal bone resorption, suggesting its potential as a preferred material for ridge preservation.
• DBB/CF showed effectiveness in preventing vertical bone resorption.
• Further high-quality randomized controlled trials are necessary to mitigate confounding factors and definitively establish the optimal ridge preservation technique.